


Sleep well, my brave Lionhearts

by InjaMorgan



Series: The Pain of Victory [2]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen, I'm Sorry, This will make you cry, and then bawl again, then smile with tears in your eyes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2013-08-09
Packaged: 2017-12-22 17:55:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InjaMorgan/pseuds/InjaMorgan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>or: Why it was a bad idea to mix Astrid Lindgren's saddest story with <em>The Hobbit</em>.</p><p>Fíli and Kíli have always been together; as brothers, as friends, as comrade in arms, and even the very end can't change this.</p><p>Because you can see the light at all times.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One - Here

**Author's Note:**

> So, this story is going to be in three parts. _Here_ , _Then_ and _There_.
> 
> If you have read Astrid Lindgren's "Brothers Lionheart", you will guess what I'm going to do, and you'll actually get some of the hints I put into the last two parts. If not, the "crossover" parts shouldn't actually annoy you and just give the story an unsual twist ...
> 
> I hope.

### Part One – Here

In the end, it was hopeless.

The orcs and wargs came from every direction. The foray right into the middle of the battlefield had been foolish at best and now proved fatal: surrounded by their foes, it seemed mad to still believe in victory. Many of the dwarves that fought alongside the company had already been killed or gravely wounded, the wargs now feasting on their flesh, and even those that fought right next to King Thorin hadn't been spared. At some point, the larger group of dwarves had been split into three smaller ones, with Fíli and Kíli being the last to defend their uncle, and no help coming for them when they called over the raging noise of the battle. It was them, and them alone, against spears and arrows and snatching teeth.

“Watch out!” Kíli called, but got there in time to embed his dagger into the neck of the orc that had been about to stab Fíli from behind. The older dwarf turned around just to see the orc drop dead in front of him, then looked at his brother with a fierce smile.

“This is futile, Kíli!” he yelled, while the other killed a warg with a well-aimed arrow. “We have to get back to the lines of Men and Elves, or we'll be wiped out within the hour!” Another orc was stupid enough to get into the range of Kíli's bow, and a third was slayed by Fíli's twin blades.

“I doubt that Uncle will allow a retreat!” Kíli responded, and both brothers looked towards Thorin, who was fighting only a few feet next to them, but seemed to be caught in his own world: he raged and turned, with every strike hitting another foe, his fighting style as reckless as ever. He already had a head wound, a thin trickle of blood emerging under the rim of his helmet, but was otherwise fine, although Kíli was right: he had stormed into the battle with the same madness that had been clutching his heart since the treasure room, and he seemed to think that he alone could win the whole battle.

“But we could knock him out!” proposed Kíli, while shooting an orc that had come dangerously close to throwing an axe in Thorin's direction.

“And carry him all the way back? It's madness!” Fíli shook his head, dodging a stray spear.

“It's this, or dying right here,” Kíli said grimly, about to move towards his uncle and taking the decision from his brother, but before they could reach Thorin, something happened that neither of them could have foreseen: The mass of orcs and wargs that surrounded them parted at a point right next to the king, and suddenly Bolg, son of Azog, stood before them.

Of course, neither Thorin nor Kíli or Fíli knew that the beast had spawned; all they saw was an orc, larger than any other, with the pale skin of his kin and a thick scar right across his ugly, maimed face, towering over them on a monstrous warg that was covered in heavy armour and chewing on something that looked like a human skull. The orc growled something in a guttural language, then made a sound that reminded of a laugh, and suddenly the goblins around them seemed to fight with a renewed spirit, Fíli and Kíli now only barely dodging all the arrows and spears that were aimed at them and their uncle, who was standing right in front of Bolg and had apparently forgotten the battle around him.

“You.” The orc growled, the single syllable out of his deformed mouth accentuated by the crack of bone as his mount dug its teeth into the skull between its fangs. “King Under Mountain, I will kill.”

And with this, he swung the gigantic mace in his hand at Thorin's head, but the dwarf was quick enough to roll to the side and under the warg to the other side, jumping to his feet and slicing Bolg's leg open, which made the orc cry out, but nothing more. He swung his mace again, and this time Thorin reacted too late, the weapon connecting with his ribcage and sending him flying.

This was about the time when Fíli and Kíli noticed their uncle's peril and tried to get his attention by shouting his name, although they had well too much trouble holding off goblins from their own necks to help Thorin, who had managed to get up again but stood on weak legs, gasping for air. His armour had taken the brunt of the hit, but he had landed on his left arm and his shield seemed now far too heavy to raise in front of him.

Meanwhile, Bolg had dismounted and came closer, his gigantic club glistening with the dried blood of his victims.

“You may kill me, beast,” Thorin rasped. “But my people will always survive.”

“Talking,” Bolg snorted, aiming his mace at Thorin's head, who only barely had the time to dodge the hit, once again rolling to the side and willingly losing his shield in the process; it wouldn't hold off the blow of such a weapon, anyway. He got on his feet as quick as he could, panting and wheezing but still with the will to fight, and only stopped in his planned attack at the sudden pain that blossomed in his chest, surprised to look down and see a spearhead protruding from his right shoulder. He had forgotten …. he had forgotten that orcs don't fight honourable. Even if the leader of a group of orcs was in a duel with the leader of the dwarves, it wouldn't mean that one small, devious goblin won't take the chance of an unprotected back and hurl a spear at it.

The sight made Bolg laugh out, which alerted Fíli and Kíli to look for their uncle again, and both yelled as they saw Thorin, who, with one last swing, beheaded the orc behind him but was too weak now from blood loss and exhaustion, dropping to the ground and only barely catching himself on his hands. This was it, the end, and even though his nephews … they were trying so desperately to reach him, but there were so many orcs, so many wargs...

Bolg raised his mace anew, standing right before Thorin. “Now, die.”

The dwarf only glared through his brows at the orc, then closed his eyes waiting for the hit … that never came.

“ _Baruk Khazâd, Khazâd ai-mênu_!” It was Kíli who drove his sword into Bolg's leg, followed by Fíli who cut off cleanly the orc's hand that had held the weapon threatening Thorin. Together they cut and sliced at the giant orc, but it seemed that even a bleeding arm stump couldn't stop him. Thorin tried to get up again, but his right hand wouldn't hold his sword because of the spearhead, and the blood loss made him so light-headed that he saw dark blots swimming across his vision. He fell down back on his knees as Fíli beheaded a smaller orc that had run to defend Bolg, and lost himself to the darkness just as Kíli managed to catch a bunch of arrows with his shield that would have hit Fíli otherwise.

The brothers didn't see Thorin lose consciousness, as they were both occupied to fend for their own lives. The other orcs had noticed by now that their leader was standing alone, and suddenly they were facing Bolg, his snarling warg and another two dozen ugly orc warriors, every other dwarf that could have helped them very far away or occupied with fighting against their own small army.

“You take the ones on the right, I take the ones on the left?” Kíli asked with the hint of a grin in his voice, swirling the sword in his right hand so that an arrow recoiled from the blade and instead hit one of the orcs next to him. Fíli made a few steps sidewards while battling one of the orcs on his right, now aware that they stood right between Thorin's lifeless body and their enemies. He sent a short prayer to their Maker that Thorin would survive and make it out of this hell.

“May your beard grow ever longer, brother,” Fíli mumbled, glancing one last time at his brother before charging at the nearest orc.

They tried, they really did; there were simply outnumbered, though. Fíli managed to slay one orc, and it was replaced with three. Kíli brought down two of their enemies, but dared to step too close to the warg, and it snapped at his legs, once, twice, then actually managed to grab the dwarf while he was distracted by an orc lunging at him with a crude war scythe. The beast sank its teeth deep into Kíli's thigh, pulling the dwarf off his feet while shaking him like a dog would shake his toy, and then bit off Kíli's leg with a sickening crunch.  
The dwarf's agonised yell alerted Fíli to his brother's distress, yet he could do nothing but watch as the warg got tired of his plaything quickly and flung Kíli right across the battlefield.

“Kíli!” 

Sheer rage flashed across Fíli's face, and with renewed strength he brought down his sword at the nearest orc's shoulder, cut off the next one's head, slicing his way towards his little brother step after step. The warg that still had Kíli's blood running from its fangs found death by an abandoned spear plunged into its jaws.  
Bolg, even though his right arm was bleeding profusely, was then the last enemy standing between Fíli and his brother, and he swung his mace at the blond dwarf but only managed to hit Fíli's hip, which made him stagger and fall to the ground, but then he used his chance and hacked through Bolg's other arm when he tried to strike again. Bolg looked a little surprised at now being without both hand, then looked at Fíli and keeled over like a felled tree.

Fíli breathed deeply, trying to get up on his feet, but a sharp pain in his lower back and left leg made him shudder; maybe Bolg hadn't only grazed his hip after all and there was some real damage. However, this couldn't stop Fíli; he gritted his teeth and got up on all fours, then came to a swaying stand and stumbled towards Kíli, who had landed on a patch of dry grass that was now not even five yards away.

Four yards. Fíli couldn't feel his left foot.

Three yards. He was suddenly aware how much his left arm hurt, too. Maybe he had broken it while defending himself from one of the orcs' attacks.

Two yards. He hadn't anticipated to be hit by two stray arrows at once.

He found himself lying on his front in the dirt, blood in his mouth, and he didn't care if it was his own or not. He just wanted one thing now: Kíli. Kíli with his gorgeous smile, the dimples on his cheeks when he laughed, and his hair that was like black silk. He had promised; promised to always take care of him.

Fíli collected his last strength and crawled. It was hard to breathe, and his shoulders protested at the strain put on them when one side was pierced with a likely poisoned arrowhead. The other arrow was embedded in Fíli's lung; every breath of air hurt.

He let himself break down only when he had reached his little brother. Kíli was lying on his back, staring up at the sky, and for a second Fíli feared he was already too late.

“Kee.” Fíli's voice was barely audible, but he still managed to grab Kíli's hand and felt a small wave of relief wash over him as Kíli squeezed his hand back.

“Fee.” Kíli's voice was a whisper. “`s cold.”

“Don' worry, Kee.” Although it hurt, Fíli moved a little closer and flung his arm over Kíli, lying next to his brother and as close as possible. “Ev'rythin' gonna b' fine,” he wheezed.

Kíli turned his head a little, staring into his brother's eyes. “`m scared.”

“Don' be, li'l brother.” Fíli drew a desperate breath and moved his hand to lie on Kíli's cheek, running his thumb across the tears dropping from his brother's eyes. “I'm with ya.”

“Fee...” Kíli's eyes suddenly became dull and lightless; Fíli sobbed, and then coughed blood.

“See ya soon, Crumbs.” He pressed one last kiss on Kíli's forehead and closed his eyes before he could see the bloody stain his lips had left behind on the quickly cooling skin. Breathing became more and more difficult, while the noise of the blood rushing in his ears got louder and louder, and the last thing Fíli, Vali's son, heard on this earth was a desperate cry.

“ _The Eagles! The Eagles are coming_!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it helps, listen to some [music](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QD-HBDC6YtA), maybe?
> 
> I'm sorry. 
> 
> No, actually I'm not.


	2. Part Two – Then

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't be surprised. This will all end in one big picture.

### Part 2 – Then

_**74 years ago** _

“Wheee!”

Fíli was playing with his favourite toy. Uncle had made it for him; it was a dwarf warrior who could move his arms, and he even had a little axe that could slice through aaall the dragons and orcs! But right now the leg of the kitchen table was a worthy enemy.

“Fíli, please come out from under the table,” Mama's voice drifted to Fíli, but he didn't listen. The dragon wasn't dead yet, the scales were too sturdy! “Lunch is almost ready!”

Well, Uncle always said that it was important to eat so he'd become a strong dwarf one day, so Fíli stopped hacking at the wood and crawled out. His mother's long skirt flowed around his face when she moved past him, putting some plates on the table.

“Oh, Fíli, could you be a dear and fetch Kíli for me? I have to keep an eye on the sausages.”

“Yes Mama.”

“Good boy,” she said, ruffling Fíli's hair and then he was already running out of the kitchen and into the small hall.

Fíli loved his little brother, really, even if he couldn't actually play with him yet. But Kíli could walk now (when you held his hand), getting better at it every day, and when Fíli reached the little playpen in their shared nursery, Kíli gripped the railing to get up and wobbled back and forth eagerly.

“Come, Kíli, lunch is ready!” Uncle had showed Fíli the trick how to open the playpen, although they had to make it a little different after Kíli managed to open it by himself. Now it was a heavy lock that Fíli could only just lift.

Kíli cooed at seeing his big brother, and gripped Fíli's hand tightly. The other hand was as always wound around a small blanket that Kíli had had since his birth and was soggy with spittle, but he started to cry as soon as he didn't have it, so Mama cleaned it every other month or so when she dared to steal it away from Kíli.

Fíli was really proud that he was already so grown up that he didn't need a comfort blanket anymore. Although, there was Mr. Fuffs. But he only helped when there was a thunderstorm, or monsters under his bed!

The trip back to the kitchen took longer, because Kíli had really small feet and tiny legs, but Fíli was patient. He even stopped when Kíli saw something shiny lying on the ground, bowing down cautiously and picking it up with careful fingers. He then showed it to Fíli, and he was surprised to see it was a brass button.

“Thank you, Kíli,” Fíli said, which made his little brother grin and drop the button into Fíli's open hand. “Looks like Uncle lost it!”

Kíli only cooed again and babbled some words with no meaning, gnawing at a corner of his blanket, but Fíli knew what his little brother was saying. He was glad that he was being helpful!

Mama had already put some steaming pots on the table when the brothers entered the kitchen, and she smiled when she saw Kíli holding Fíli's hand tight.

“Well done, my little lion, now go and knock on your uncle's door? I'm sure he's forgotten already that he needs food and can't live from brooding over those papers alone.”

“Yes Mama!” Fíli watched Kíli toddle towards Mama before he dashed off again, this time in the other direction, as Uncle's office was on the other side of their house. He knocked as hard as he could, and then yelled through the keyhole for good measure. 

“Lunch's ready!”

Something rumbled inside the office, and Fíli was positive that Uncle now knew that there was food. He ran back to the kitchen quickly, climbing on his chair that was next to Kíli's special one. It was attached directly to the table, making it easier for Kíli to reach his small bowl, which was filled with some mashed apples. Kíli had his own small wooden spoon, and had already started tucking in, his blanket lying next to it, but he looked up when Fíli climbed on the chair, offering his spoon to him, but Fíli shook his head politely.

“Thank you, but I want sausages!” he said, and grabbed for the big spoon in the bowl with the potatoes. Mama didn't have many rules when it came to eating, but she always said that he had to eat at least one fork of each vegetable she put on the table, so he had learnt his way around spinach and kohlrabi, but actually started to love peas and sprouts. 

Uncle chose that moment to enter the kitchen, grumpily rubbing at his eyes and sitting down heavily on the chair opposite Fíli. He grumbled something, and only looked up when Mama put a tankard on the table before him.

“Thanks for joining us, brother,” she said curtly, sitting down and helping herself to some of the sausages. Uncle nipped at his ale, staring at the pot with the cauliflower in front of him.

“`s good!” Fíli told Uncle between shovelling food into his mouth, which earned him a stern look from Mama.

“What did I tell you?”

Fíli chewed and gulped dramatically. “No talking with food in my mouth.”

“That's my brave little lion,” Mama said, smiling and ruffling his hair.

“Stop calling him that,” Uncle said gruffly, which made Mama look at him just like she had looked at Fíli a moment ago.

“I'll call my son whatever I want, thank you very much.”

Uncle huffed, but kept quiet. Fíli lowered his head and grinned into his plate; Mama was really terrifying, and even his big, strong uncle didn't always dare to talk back when she was cross.

And Fíli really didn't understand why Uncle was against the nickname; he liked it very much! Mama had told him all about the lions that lived far away in the south; their fur had the same colour as his hair, and they had unruly manes just like Fíli too! Mama always complained about the knots and that his braids never stayed long, but Fíli liked his hair just like it was.

Fíli was interrupted in his thoughts when a wet spoon landed on his plate, right on top of the cauliflower. He looked up to see Kíli jiggling in his chair, apparently finished with his mashed apples now.

“Wait, I'll get him some rusk,” Mama said, getting up and taking a container out of one of the kitchen cupboards, handing Fíli two slices of rusk, who handed them to Kíli. The young dwarf bit into the rusk with glee, holding with each of his small hands one of the dry biscuits, getting crumbs all over his shirt. Fíli smiled, brushing some of the crumbs from Kíli's clothes, and suddenly he had an idea.

“Crumbs.”

“Pardon?” Mama said, looking at Fíli questioningly.

“Crumbs!” Fíli said again, looking between Mama's and Uncle's clueless faces. “We could call Kíli Crumbs; he loves to eat rusk like that, doesn't he?”

Mama only stared at Fíli, before she smiled widely.

“This is a wonderful idea. My brave golden Lion and little Crumbs.”

“It's too childish,” Uncle interjected.

“If you haven't noticed yet, dear brother, both Kíli and Fíli are indeed children,” Mama replied, before putting fork and knife on her plate noisily, stood up and put them into the sink. Fíli was quickly shovelling the last bits of his cauliflower into his mouth, because whatever Mama was angry about right now, he didn't want to be there when she exploded and yelled at Uncle.

Sadly, being finished with lunch also meant nap time for him and Kíli, but today Fíli actually felt a little tired after running around so much. Mama carried Kíli to the nursery, wringing the last bit of rusk from the already half asleep dwarfling, Fíli trailing behind her. She put Kíli into his cot while Fíli crawled into his own bed, yawning, and soon Mama came to tuck his blankets in properly before pressing a kiss into his hair.

“Sleep well, my brave lion.”

Fíli fell asleep quickly and dreamt about something golden and red. He was only woken up when he heard hushed whispering right next to him, and he blinked his eyes open to see Mama and Uncle standing next to Kíli's cot.

“I understand you, brother, I do ... I just want them to stay children a little longer than we were allowed to.” Mama spoke, and Fíli tried to not move under his blankets so they wouldn't notice he was actually awake.

“And I say these are hard times, and they need to be prepared.” Uncle replied, still sounding very gruff.

“So you want to train them when they can barely hold a pen properly, never mind Kíli not even talking yet?”

“This is another thing that worries me,” Uncle sighed. “When Fíli was that age he was already calling you Mama and had names for things.” 

“So Kíli is slow; it happens! He babbles and coos, and looks at me when I call him by his name, so he's neither deaf nor mute: he just needs more time!” Mama answered, and Fíli knew that she was angry, and he was, too. Kíli wasn't stupid!

“Peace, sister, don't be offended.” Uncle said, putting a hand on Mama's shoulder. “But now that you've seen that they're both asleep, we should go back to the kitchen and not wake them with our talking, don't you think?”

Fíli saw Mama nodding, and together Uncle and her left the room, shutting the door quietly behind them. Fíli lay there in his bed, in the twilight of the single burning candle in their room, thinking about what he'd overheard, before he stood up and tiptoed to Kíli's cot.

“Hey Crumbs,” he murmured, leaning into the bed and brushing over Kíli's dark hair. “Don't worry. Even if you never talk, I'll always take care of you, whatever happens.”

He took one of Kíli's small hands and rubbed gently over the warm skin.

“You're my little brother, Crumbs. I'll stand next to you, forever.”

Fíli smiled and played around with Kíli's hand, raising his arm and shaking it back and forth, though noticed too late that Kíli's eyes were moving and then suddenly open. But instead of wailing or whimpering, Kíli just giggled, looking at his big brother with a big grin.

“Fee!” he said, raising both his arms and kicking with his legs.

First, Fíli thought he had heard wrong, but then Kíli spoke again.

“Fee, Feee, Feelee, Fíli!” Kíli repeated, and then he said it again and again. “Fíli, Feelee!!!”

Fíli gaped, then turned on his heels and ran out of the room, yelling.

“Mama, Mama, Kíli spoke his first word!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of [FanArt](http://31.media.tumblr.com/a32e92afafae78b5895e4fd364bae34d/tumblr_mr4i1qd4TN1qmta8go1_500.jpg) for this bit, as always done by the amazing [BlueSparkle](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Sparkle/pseuds/Blue_Sparkle)


	3. Part Three – There

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is it. I said that it would be short, yes?
> 
> There are some bigger references to Astrid Lindgren's _The Brothers Lionheart_ in this part. I should add that Kíli's nickname "Crumbs" that I introduced in the second part is the direct translation of Karl Lejon's nickname in the German translation of the book; I really don't like the one in the English version, which was Rusky. And if anyone knows the old movie adaption, yes, I stole that detail and didn't do it like it was in the book.
> 
> Finally: The end might seem familiar to readers who know my _Crossing_ , which was fully intended.

### Part 3 – There

Something was tickling his nose.

Kíli raised his hand and brushed away a strand of hair, blinking and then opening his eyes fully.

Above him was something white and pink, and some darker lines, and then he realised that he was looking at thousands upon thousands of small flower blossoms on tree branches that were occupying his whole range of vision. Beyond the tree crown he could see a blue sky and a warm midday sun glittering here and there through the petals.

There seemed to be something odd about this, but Kíli was distracted from his thoughts when he felt a small huff of air on his cheek.

He turned, and was not surprised to see Fíli lying next to him on his side, and only now Kíli noticed the arm that was slung tight over his chest. This, this was not odd; it was normal. So often he and Fíli had left all their responsibilities in Ered Luin behind, got on their ponies and rode for an hour or two, discovering small lakes or pastures in full blossom somewhere up in the mountains where no one would have expected them. And more than once they had simply stayed there, lounging in the sun until dawn and then carefully finding their way in the last of daylight.

And today they had just fallen asleep under a tree. Looked like cherry, or was it apple? Fruit trees looked so similar to him, but he was pretty sure that it was cherry.

“Fee,” Kíli nudged his brother with the hand that wasn't tucked between his and Fíli's body. “Hey, Fee, wake up sleepyhead.”

“Ah, he won't wake up that quickly, I'd say.”

The voice startled Kíli so much that he sat up jerkily, scanning his surroundings until he discovered a dwarf hanging upside down from one of the more sturdier boughs of another blossom loaded tree just a few yards away from the one Kíli and Fíli were under. The dwarf had long, tan hair that was swinging freely and a broad grin on his lips.

“Who are you?” Kíli asked, raising an eyebrow. He had never seen a dwarf doing such a strange thing; dwarves weren't known to climb trees, not even as young lads. 

“That _is_ a difficult question,” the dwarf said mysteriously, swinging a little back and forth before he reached upwards, grabbed the bough right next to his knees and made a role in the middle of the air, before landing on the ground without even swaying.

“Firstly, I'm clearly a dwarf,” he began, making a step towards Kíli and Fíli. “Secondly, I'm at least partly a fool because I really thought you were the clever one and not your brother. And thirdly,” he said, making a cheeky pause before bowing deeply. “My name is Frerin, Frerin Thrainsson, at your service.”

Kíli gaped. He knew that name, of course, he had heard all kinds of stories about his uncle Frerin, the sibling of Thorin and his mother, but...

“You're dead.” Frerin had died in the Battle of Azanulbizar, not even fifty years of age then, a child in the eyes of dwarves.

The other dwarf righted himself again and cocked his head slightly with a completely blank face.

“Well, you're dead too.”

Oh.

That's why waking up under a tree had seemed odd to Kíli.

Strangely, he wasn't shocked or frightened or even … angry. The memories of the battle, and well, dying apparently, hurt a little, but he could shove the images of blood and violence into the back of his mind like an unwanted scratchy jumper into the rearmost corner of a closet.

The only thing he was now worried about was Fíli, who was still lying next to him in the soft grass under the cherry tree. Fíli hadn't moved at all, hadn't even showed any signs of waking up, and Kíli stroked over the golden hair of his brother, removing one of the light pink blossom petals that had fallen on Fíli's still face.

“So when this is the Hall of Waiting,” Kíli pondered, looking up at Frerin, who had come closer and crouched down right next to the brothers. “Why is Fíli not waking up?”

Frerin only sighed and shook his had sadly. “It means that his death is long and...” He drew a deep breath. “Quite painful.”

“Oh Fee,” Kíli whispered, still trailing his fingers through Fíli's hair. The blond strands were slightly knotted, and one of the braids on Fíli's temple had come undone. Kíli didn't even think about it when he started to untangle the hair, his fingers gentle and careful to not pull on it, and in the end he redid the loose braid, the pattern ingrained into his mind as it had always been his responsibility to care for Fíli's hair, just like Fíli helped his little brother with his hair.

What Kíli didn't notice, but Frerin observed with a growing smile, were the small signs of the older brother waking up. His eyelids fluttered, a finger twitched, and just as Kíli put the bead back into Fíli's braid, the older brother opened his eyes.

“Kíli.” Fíli threw himself into Kíli's arms, pulling his brother into a tight embrace. Kíli was surprised to have the other dwarf suddenly hugging him like that, but didn't protest and hugged back. And all at once there were tears stinging in his eyes, because he was dead and Fíli was dead and nevertheless they were here and together and this shouldn't be bad, yes?

“We're dead.” Fíli whispered into his brother's ear, with Kíli nodding as answer. He needed a little to realise that the strange sounds from Fíli after that were sobs, quiet as they might be, and as Kíli had seldom seen his brother cry, he hugged him only closer, holding his brother as he cried for both of them; cried for their lost future, their friends they had left behind, and the promise that he had belied in the end.

“There really is no need to cry, nephew,” Frerin suddenly said, which made Fíli flinch and then slowly loosen the embrace on his little brother, turning towards the unfamiliar face. He wiped away the tears hastily, and before Kíli or Frerin could say anything, Fíli had already understood.

“You're Uncle Frerin.”

“There, knew the older brother is always the clever one,” Frerin exclaimed, getting up from his crouched position and holding out his hands towards the brothers. “But now we really have to go or Momma Frís' will get angry because you're making her wait.”

“Grandmother Frís is here, too?” Kíli asked excitedly, gripping Frerin's hand, and was slightly surprised that the slender dwarf pulled both him and Fíli back on their feet without effort. And now that they were standing, he realised that Frerin was actually half a foot smaller than them, and from up close Kíli noticed that Frerin still had the fuzz of a young dwarven lad on his cheeks. Apparently, ageing wasn't possible when you were dead.

“Of course!” Frerin nodded enthusiastically, having to look up at them now. “All of them are here, Thrain, Thror … and your father.”

“Vali … is he well?” Fíli said, then adding another thought: “And why isn't he here right now?”

At this, Frerin suddenly giggled like mad, turned and waved to the brothers to follow him down a narrow path that meandered between the cherry trees; the grove seemed to be pretty large.

“Well, your father … kinda lost a bet,” he explained while walking; Fíli and Kíli just stared at him when he turned to look at them

“What? It's not forbidden to bet on the outcome of a battle, or who will survive it.”

“Just a little creepy,” Fíli said with a raised eyebrow, but also a grin on his lips. Frerin's laughter was contagious.

“So Father believed that we'd survive?” Kíli probed; Frerin nodded, still not really able to suppress the grin.

“And he was a fool in doing so.”

“Hey, that's our deaths you're talking about,” Fíli said almost jokingly, hitting his uncle in a playful way.

“Yes, I am, and I really don't mean to be disrespectful.” He swayed a little to the side so he bumped into Fíli and the latter lost his balance a bit. “After all, this is a place of forgiveness and joy; we don't dwell in the past!”

“Is that a house I see?” Kíli suddenly asked; he'd walked a few steps ahead of Fíli and Frerin, peering through the trees to see outside of the grove.

“That's our cottage,” Frerin confirmed the observation, and suddenly yelled on the top of his lungs. “Father, look who joined us!”

They saw a figure standing in front of the cottage wave back at them, and after that the whole affair got just a little tearful. Thrain and Frís greeted them with a hug, their grandmother dragging them back into the kitchen that smelled of cherries and peppermint, pushing them right in front of Vali, who pulled Fíli and Kíli close, kissed their faces and the tears away. He apologised over and over for not being there when they grew up, and told them again and again that he was so very proud of what they had achieved in life

After that, it was an evening filled with questions and answers, then laughter returned and a freshly baked cherry pie was put on the table in front of them. For a short while, both Fíli and Kíli forgot what they had experienced, that they had died and where now in a completely different world. They spent day after day in an endless summer, even riding ponies that their grandfather Thror had given them, and fished in a brook that ran behind the cottage that was now their new home. They knew that there were villages and even large mountains filled with other dwarves, but they were right content with where they lived now. They felt free and at peace.

Until the day, about a week after they had woken under the cherry trees, when Frerin came to them and led them back to the cherry grove.

“He will wake soon,” he offered as an explanation, but the brothers looked at him blankly.

“Who?”

“Thorin.”

Only then it came back to them, and Frerin patted their shoulders in understanding.

“We all tend to forget. It's the beauty of this place, and also the curse, because we only remember when others are close to joining us,” he told them, and then left, saying that it was their responsibility to meet Thorin. How Frerin knew this he didn't say.

So Fíli and Kíli stepped between the cherry trees again, walking under the pink petals until they discovered Thorin, deeply sleeping under the tallest tree they had seen in the grove.

“I hope he won't let us wait that long,” Kíli said, sitting down next to their unconscious uncle; Fíli doing the same on the other side.

“I know what you mean.” Fíli stroked over Thorin's hair, and Kíli was reminded of the day he woke and did the same with Fíli's. “All the sorrow and pain is suddenly at the front of my mind again, and I want that carefree feeling back.”

“Do you think he apologised to Master Boggins?”

“I hope so, or he would be a bigger idiot than I ever thought,” Fíli giggled, loosening a knot he had found in Thorin's hair. It was a steady and calming task, and for a while, they simply sat there, Fíli combing through Thorin's hair while Kíli watched him. And this was why Fíli saw first that their uncle's eyes moved under their lids, like he was having a bad dream, and heard him muttering suddenly.

“Bil … Bilbo … NO!” Thorin awoke abruptly, almost striking Fíli in the face with his flailing limbs; the brothers instinctively moved away a little and waited for Thorin to wake up properly. 

But Thorin was still caught in the last remnants of his dream, staring straight ahead before he realised that he was not alone, looking at the dwarves sitting right and left of him.

“Fíli…Kíli…”

They didn't need another invitation. Both Fíli and Kíli flung their arms around Thorin's neck, so that the older dwarf lost his balance and fell back into the soft grass, laughing and sobbing at the same time. He pressed a kiss to each of his nephew's forehead, muttering into their hair.

“I'm sorry, I'm so sorry my boys...”

“Don't worry, Uncle,” Kíli said, sitting up a little and smiling. “We are all right.”

“Truly?” Thorin asked, looking between the young dwarves.

“Yes, Uncle,” Fíli confirmed, and together they got on their feet. “We just waited for you.”

Thorin brushed away some dirt from his clothes, and when he looked up, he again stared into the distance.

“Do you see that light?”

The brothers followed Thorin's gaze, and indeed there was a soft light shining through the branches of the cherry trees. It was too bright to be the sun, but it wasn't at all threatening.

“Beautiful,” Fili murmured.

“Breathtaking,” Kíli added.

“I have the feeling that we should go there, boys.” Thorin grabbed for his nephews hands, and they allowed him to do so. Fíli and Kíli instantly felt suddenly very young, all the years slipping from them; they became children again, and held tight to their dear uncle's hands.

“Come, everything will be fine now.”

_~finis~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading :3
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> and maybe leave a comment?  
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